Regaining Hand Motor Skills

You know how you eat with a fork and knife when you're at a restaurant? If you have to regain that skill again, how do you go from grabbing utensils like they're shovels back to eating like you're in a restaurant?

He's got the strength back, but he doesn't have that ability, and I can't find anything online to refer to. (He's already doing the exercises found immediately.)

Lynn

Still woman, but no lady.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Two exercises they had me doing in the hospital were repeatedly touching my finger tips to my thumb tip, index to small, then back again. Sometimes tapping them once, twice, three times. And crossing my various fingers. I must have done those hundreds and hundreds of times.

__________________________________________________ ________________________________________“True eloquence consists of saying all that is necessary, and only that which is .” François Duc De La Rochefoucauld (among others)I am the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus.

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Did you have a heart attack too, Willie? Glad you're okay and John too of course..

Originally Posted by Willie-T

Two exercises they had me doing in the hospital were repeatedly touching my finger tips to my thumb tip, index to small, then back again. Sometimes tapping them once, twice, three times. And crossing my various fingers. I must have done those hundreds and hundreds of times.

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Originally Posted by Willie-T

Two exercises they had me doing in the hospital were repeatedly touching my finger tips to my thumb tip, index to small, then back again. Sometimes tapping them once, twice, three times. And crossing my various fingers. I must have done those hundreds and hundreds of times.

Did that work differently than stretching exercises with rubber bands on fingers? (I haven't seen him doing that finger-touching move in quite some time, and yet I see him do enough hand strengthening exercises, that I am now confident if I ever need a lid off a jar again, I can ask him. His hand strength has surpassed me. I don't know if he thinks he's back to his old strength though. At the rate he's going, I can see him stronger than he was, which again, means he'll have to be careful when tightening lids and pipes.)

Also, he's stuck with dead-pinkies. They work better than they used to. (He can move them a bit by now.) But it's much like having a prosthetic sixth-finger. They're completely numb and feel like a foreign object placed there for no particular reason.

I never realized how much easier it is to eat with utensils held like pencils instead of like trowels. Somehow the food gets to the mouth more often than it lands on the floor, if it's done like we were taught when we were kids. (I always thought that was like sticking your pinky out when drinking tea. Not so much common sense, as it is about impressing others with our refinement. lol)

Lynn

Still woman, but no lady.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Originally Posted by Depleted

Did that work differently than stretching exercises with rubber bands on fingers? (I haven't seen him doing that finger-touching move in quite some time, and yet I see him do enough hand strengthening exercises, that I am now confident if I ever need a lid off a jar again, I can ask him. His hand strength has surpassed me. I don't know if he thinks he's back to his old strength though. At the rate he's going, I can see him stronger than he was, which again, means he'll have to be careful when tightening lids and pipes.)

Also, he's stuck with dead-pinkies. They work better than they used to. (He can move them a bit by now.) But it's much like having a prosthetic sixth-finger. They're completely numb and feel like a foreign object placed there for no particular reason.

I never realized how much easier it is to eat with utensils held like pencils instead of like trowels. Somehow the food gets to the mouth more often than it lands on the floor, if it's done like we were taught when we were kids. (I always thought that was like sticking your pinky out when drinking tea. Not so much common sense, as it is about impressing others with our refinement. lol)

"Walking" a 50 cent piece up and down the fingers (knuckles) of one hand is very good, too.

Last edited by Willie-T; March 7th, 2017 at 01:06 PM.

__________________________________________________ ________________________________________“True eloquence consists of saying all that is necessary, and only that which is .” François Duc De La Rochefoucauld (among others)I am the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus.

Thanks. I'll let him know. He used to get frustrated at the big things. Now he gets frustrated with the little things. It still amazes me the amount of things we do in life that we take for granted, until we can't do it as easily as we did.

How much did you get back?

Lynn

Still woman, but no lady.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Thanks. I'll let him know. He used to get frustrated at the big things. Now he gets frustrated with the little things. It still amazes me the amount of things we do in life that we take for granted, until we can't do it as easily as we did.

How much did you get back?

Next month will be 5 years, and I haven't fully "gotten everything back" yet. But, I get SOMETHING more every month.

__________________________________________________ ________________________________________“True eloquence consists of saying all that is necessary, and only that which is .” François Duc De La Rochefoucauld (among others)I am the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus.

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

After I broke my wrist, my therapist had me pick up little craft pom pom balls of differing sizes. I'd pick them up one at a time and deposit them into a bowl, empty the bowl out and do it again! Tedious, but it did help my dexterity.

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Willie, I talked to him about it. Ends up it was just momentary frustration. He's excited because just a month ago he couldn't get his pinky close enough to the thumb to touch, and now he can. He has been doing them. I simply had to suggest he do them more often. Finger crossing still requires putting the finger in the right place.

Lynn

Still woman, but no lady.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

it's a continual roller-coaster-ride - catch and ride the positive and let the not-yets go'...

I'm an expert at this, and it is what it is - every day is a blessing that we have our beloveds
with us, no matter the cost or reason...

If it's a coaster ride, it's usually a happy uphill. He collected the trash for me tonight. First time I wasn't completely in charge of trash since November, 2015. And the only reason I brought dinner in was because my risotto was done last. (Just last week, he was so exhausted making dinner, I had to finish plating it and bringing it in.)

Long gone are the days where it's 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Now it's 100 steps forward and 1 step back.

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Originally Posted by santuzza

After I broke my wrist, my therapist had me pick up little craft pom pom balls of differing sizes. I'd pick them up one at a time and deposit them into a bowl, empty the bowl out and do it again! Tedious, but it did help my dexterity.

He has a more enjoyable one.
Pull hard candy out of the dish.
Unwrap it. (Requires both hands.)
Enjoy it. lol

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

Re: Regaining Hand Motor Skills

If he has trouble holding a writing instrument, have him put a cotton ball or Pom Pom in his palm and then grasp the pencil. We do this at Pre School with kid's who have trouble with their fine motor skills. Who knows it might help.